Jeff Stambaugh, 63, was last seen on the morning of September 30 at the Granite Basin Campground in Yavapai County.
PHOENIX — It’s been two weeks since 63-year-old Jeffrey Stambaugh was last seen on the morning of September 30 at Granite Basin Campground in Yavapai County.
His sister Pam Chambers says time feels like an eternity.
“There were a lot of restless nights and it was tough,” she said. “It’s really hard. It’s hard to believe there’s no sign or trace of him when they’ve done everything they’ve done. Helicopters, people, drones, dogs, search parties, every day, where is he?”
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An avid hiker, Stambaugh was staying at Yavapai Campground on the Granite Basin. According to the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office, he had his cell phone charged by camp organizers the day he went missing, but he never returned to retrieve it.
Scott Chambers, Jeff’s brother-in-law, said, “We put a lot of trust in the sheriff’s department who do all the leg work for us.” They had helicopters, drones, dogs, people on horseback.”
Originally from the East Coast, Stambaugh has lived in Tucson for nearly 30 years.
Pam says her older brother has always loved the outdoors, which is why he was drawn to Arizona. His family lived mainly in remote Delaware, and this period was very difficult.
“We stay close to our phones and computers,” says Chambers.
Since Stambaugh was reported missing, more than 300 volunteers and multiple law enforcement agencies have worked tirelessly to go out on an almost daily basis trying to find the 63-year-old man. One group, she says, traveled 12 miles in one day.
“I believe Mr. Stanbow had booked the Yavapai campground from the 26th to the 29th,” Heidi Howard said.
Howard, a spokeswoman for the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Department, says that Stambaugh’s car, a Subaru, was found outside the Metate trailhead.
“There are a lot of trails out there, so the men are hiking and the women are hiking as many trails as possible,” she said. “We have about 300+ volunteers. ”
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Department also sent someone with a remote-controlled vehicle controller to check a nearby lake to see if anything was found in the water. But nothing.
“We cover all sides,” Howard said. “It’s very tough terrain, and we’ve been hiking for miles. It’s at the base of Granite Mountain, it’s a big mountain, and the trails and scenery there are very undulating, with lots of thick brush, but , it’s not… easy to navigate.”
We haven’t found anything yet, but Chambers says the search is very active.
“We are determined to get answers,” she said. “Definitely that’s the main goal. We won’t give up easily. We are definitely there. We have personnel and have already spent 1,000 hours on this search. Agents show signs of fever.” We’ve reconfirmed some of the , identified by drone flights, so that’s our plan for this weekend.”
With temperatures dropping and good weather expected this weekend, Howard said more people could head out to the area.
Chambers asks you to watch out for anything if you or someone you know is headed in that direction.
“They’ve already conducted a 12-day search, so they’re planning to get the group together on Sunday.
If you have information on Stambaugh’s whereabouts, please call YCSO at (928)-771-3260 or Yavapai Silent Witness at 1-800-932-3232. They also encourage people to share social media posts in hopes that someone will know or remember something.
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